New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi must speak up on whether Dalits in this country have the right to hold peaceful rallies and protest, said Gujarat Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani today, strongly refuting the allegation that he made a provocative speech which triggered caste clashes in Maharashtra this week.

The 36-year-old alleged that the ruling BJP and its ideological mentor the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is "threatened by my growing popularity," accusing them of "attacking me because they arrogantly thought they would win 150 seats in Gujarat and stopped at 99…and now are worried about the 2019 national election."

"If Dalits continue to be targeted and my reputation is continued to be tarnished, Mr PM we will teach you a lesson in 2019," Jignesh Mevani said in multiple attacks on PM Modi, also stating, "The Prime Minister is a self-proclaimed Ambedkarite, a follower of Dr BR Ambedkar, why is he silent? Why are Dalits being attacked like in Pune? Why are Dalits not secure in India? We want to know if he has any commitment to the annihilation of caste…which was Dr Ambedkar’s ultimate goal."

WASHINGTON : The United States said on Thursday it was suspending at least $900 million in security assistance to Pakistan until it takes action against the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network militant groups.

The U.S. State Department announced the decision, saying it reflected Trump administration’s frustration that Pakistan has not done more against the two groups, which have long used sanctuaries in Pakistan to launch attacks in neighboring Afghanistan that have killed U.S., Afghan and other forces.

The department declined to say exactly how much aid would be suspended, saying the numbers were still being calculated and included funding from both the State and Defense departments.